Worm-pressing clamping means for slidable side jaw wrench



March 1962 K. F. FINN ET AL 3,024,683

WORM-PRESSING CLAMPING MEANS FOR SLIDABLE SIDE JAW WRENCH Filed Aug. 8, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 KENNETH E FINN AND DONALD J. FINN IN V EN TORS'.

March 13, 1962 F. FINN ET A]. 3,024,683

WORM-PRESSING CLAMPING MEANS FOR SLIDABLE SIDE JAW WRENCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 8, 1960 FIG. 7

KENNETH F.' FINN AND D J VEN United States Patent 3,024,683 WGRM-PRESSING (ILAMPING MEANS FOR SLID- ABLE SEDE JAW WRENCH Kenneth F. Finn and Donald J. Finn, both of 2508 E. 00k, Springfield, Ill. Filed Aug. 8, 1960, Ser. No. 48,117 3 Claims. (Cl. 81-165) This invention relates to clamping or locking means for the movable jaw of an adjustable wrench of the sliding side jaw type whereby the jaws may be locked in gripping relation with an object, such as a bolt head or nut.

In particular, it is an object to provide a lever having a shank with portions thereof having fiat sides extended through and providing a shaft for the worm of a slidable side jaw wrench and secured in a socket in the head of the wrench by a latch whereby the adjusting worm of the wrench is actuated by the lever to urge the jaws into forceful clamping relation with an object.

The wrench of this application is an improvement over the wrench of our former Patent No. 2,657,606 in that the spring actuated clip is inserted between the inner end of the worm and inner end of the worm opening in the head of the wrench.

More particularly it is an object to provide the concept of fixed and movable pressure members having opposed surfaces, the opposing surfaces being disposed for cam-like or wedging or inclined surface action against each other, actuated by a lever to force the worm to press the movable jaw into and out of clamping relationship with an object, using either threaded inclined surfaces or cam-like inclined surfaces.

The purpose of this invention is to provide means for pressing the worm of such a wrench axially or longitudinally to facilitate clamping on an object.

A further object is to provide a wrench as described the lever portion of which is made of polygonal, preferable hexagonal stock with some portions cut away to smaller sizes, as this provides a much more economical construction than a lever made from round stock with parts machined away to form polygonal surfaces as was the case with the lever in the former patent.

In summary, objects of the invention are more broadly to provide a wrench as described the lever of which is prevented from accidental coming apart from the wrench, the lever of which is held in a storage position in alignment with the handle when not in use, the lever of which is made more economically from polygonal or hexagonal stock and the lever of which is prevented from falling outwardly from the fixed jaw by gravity while the wrench is being normally used by manual turning of the worm without the use of a lever for clamping on an object.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and economical clamping means for such a wrench.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational View showin the improved slidable side jaw wrench with a worm-pressing clamping means thereon of threaded type, and with part of the handle of the wrench broken away.

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to that shown in FIGURE 1 with part of the head of the wrench and a part of its handle broken away for showing the clamping means.

FIGURE 3 is a section through the head of the wrench taken on line 3--3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is an exploded view showing the adjusting worm and the improved nut clamping pressure means.

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view of the upper portion of the improved wrench with parts broken away showing a modification wherein longitudinal movement of the Worm is forced by cam-like, inclined wedgingclutch surfaced elements having inclined coacting teeth, and in which the parts are shown on an enlarged scale.

FIGURE 6 is an exploded view showing the clutch elements with the teeth having the inclined surfaces.

FIGURE 7 is a side elevational view of the Wrench shown in FIGURE 5 with the parts shown on a reduced scale, and showing the wedging clutch elements in an extended position.

While two embodiments of the invention are illus trated in the above-referred-to drawings, it is to be understood that they are merely for the purpose of illustration and that various changes in construction may be resorted to in the course of manufacture in order that the invention may be utilized to the best advantage according to circumstances which may arise, without in any manner departing from the spirit and intention of the device, which is to be limited only in accordance with the appended claims. And while there is stated the primary field of utility of the invention it remains obvious that it may be employed in any other capacity wherein it may be found applicable.

In the accompanying drawings, and in the following specification, the same reference characters are used to designate the same parts and elements throughout, and in which the numeral 10 refers to the invention in its entirety, numeral 12 indicating the head of a slidable side jaw wrench having a handle 14, a stationary jaw 16, a movable jaw 18, and an adjusting Worm 20, numeral 22 indicating a lever having a shaft or shank 24 rotatably positioned in an inner shaft-receiving opening 26 in the head 12 and extended through an opening 28 in the worm 20, numeral 30 indicating a bushing threaded in an outer shaft receiving opening or counterbore 32 in the head, numeral 33 a worm receiving opening, numeral 34 a coil spring positioned in a counterbore 36 in the end of the worm 20, and numeral 38 a detent positioned in a notch 40 in the head and urged toward the shank by a spring 42.

A polygonal, preferably hexagonal lever holding section 44 on the inner end of the shank 24 is provided so that when the shank is pressed inwardly with the lever moved from the position shown in full lines in FIGURE 2 to that shown in dotted lines, the holding section 44 passes into a complementally shaped, preferably hexagonal, inner end or lever retaining portion 46 of the inner shaft receiving opening 26 whereby rotation of the shank is stopped for holding the outer end of the lever parallel to and in alignment with the handle 14. Following the section 44, the shank is provided with a cylindrical section 48, and following the section 48, the shank is provided with an annular recess 50 which, when the shank is in the inner position, is positioned to receive the detent 38 by which the shank is retained in the head against accidental displacement thereof. The sides of the recess 50 are inclined away from the recess at their outer ends to permit the sides to depress the detent 38 when the lever is intentionally pulled out.

Proceeding outwardly along the shank we find sections in the following order: a section 54 adjacent to the section with the recess 50, and having preferably hexagonal sides of a size to correspond to and to freely rotate in a cylindrical opening through the worm 20, a section 56' also having hexagonal sides and positioned to coactwith a hexagonal opening 58 in the bushing 30, and a cylindrical section 60 positioned to turn in the bushing 30 when the shank is disposed in the dotted line-position of FIGURE 2.

With the parts assembled as illustrated and described, the jaw 18 is run against a bolthead or other object by fingering the worm 20.

The lever 22 is then pulled outwardly into the full line position shown in FIGURE 2 in which hexagonal shaft portion 56 serves as a male clutch surface engaged with a female complementary hexagonal surface in the bushing 30. Then the lever is twisted until the jaws are in gripping relation with the bolthead or other object.

In the design illustrated in FIGURES 5, 6, and 7 a wrench having a head 62, a handle 64, and a stationary jaw 66 is provided with a movable jaw 68, and the movable jaw 68 is provided with a gear rack 70 that is positioned in meshing relation with an adjusting worm 72 in a recess 74 in the head 62, and the worm 72 is rotatably mounted on a shaft or shank 76 of a lever 78.

The inner end of the shank 76 is provided with a hexagonal section 80 and the section 80 is positioned to slide into a hexagonal socket 82. Adjoining the section 80 of the shank is a cylindrical section 84 with a section having an annular recess 86 on the other side of it. The recess 86 is positioned to receive one end of a detent 88 disposed in a recess 90 in the wrench head and the detent is urged into the annular recess 86 by a spring 92 in the head recess 90. The shank 76 is also provided with a section 94 disposed outwardly of the section having the recess 86, the section 94 having polygonal sides and the section 94 extends through a cylindrical axial opening through the worm 72.

The shank 76 has a cylindrical section 96 disposed outwardly toward the lever 78 of the section 94 and adjoining the sections 94.

The section 96 is directly connected to a hexagonal outermost portion of the shaft or shank 76 which outermost portion is preferably hexagonal continuously to and connected with the transverse lever 78 which is itself preferably hexagonal whereby the entire shaft or shank can be formed in manufacture from the same piece of hexagonal stock turned down at certain places to form cylindrical portions as above described.

Two discs or pressure members 98 and 100 are provided and the disc 98 has a hexagonal opening extending axially through its center whereby the hexagonal opening is adapted to slidably receive the hexagonal portion 94 of the shaft or shank 76 whereby a clutching and declutching release is provided so that when the cylindrical shaft section 96 is disposed through the hexagonal opening in the disc 98, a declutching or free rotation relation exists.

The other disc 100 has a cylindrical center axial opening for rotatably receiving the hexagonal shaft portion 94 and is disposed along side the disc 98. The construction is such that when the disc 98 is rotated by a clockwise rotation of the lever 78 as seen from the righthand side of FIGURE 5, the disc 98 and the worm 72 will be forced inwardly by certain coacting inclined surfaces 102 on the disc 98, and 104 of the disc 100 (which latter is welded at 101 to the wrench head), compressing a spring 106 in a counterbore 108 of the worm 72 and urging the movable jaw 68 against a nut or other object between the jaws 66 and 68.

Operation With the parts assembled as ilustrated and described, the wrench may be used in the conventional manner when the lever is in inner storage position and when clamping is desired, the adjusting nut may be pressed axial- 1y upon rotation of the lever 22 or 78 due to action of either the inclined surfaces of the discs 98 and 100, or by rotation of the bushing 30.

The detents 38 and 88 prevent accidental separation of the shank from the head of the Wrench.

The lever 22 is stored by putting it into the inner dotted line position of FIGURE 2 in which the hexagonal end 44 engages the hexagonal inner portion 46 for holding the outer end of the lever 22 in storage position parallel to the handle 14.

The lever 78 is stored when it is in the inner position of FIGURE 5 with hexagonal shank portion engaged in the hexagonal socket 82.

From the foregoing specification, it will become ap parent that the invention disclosed will adequately accomplish the functions for which it has been designed and in an economical manner and that its simplicity, accuracy, and ease of operation are such as to provide a relatively inexpensive device considering what it will accomplish and that it will find an important place in the art to which it appertains when once placed on the market.

It is thought that persons skilled in the art to which the invention relates will be able to obtain a clear understanding of the invention after considering the description in connection with the drawings. Therefore, a more lengthy description is regarded as unnecessary.

Changes in shape, size, and arrangement of details and parts such as come within the purview of the invention claimed may be resorted to in actual practice if desired.

We claim:

1. A slidable side jaw wrench comprising an elongated handle having a head on one end and having a fixed jaw integral with and extended from the head, a movable jaw slidably mounted in the head and positioned to coact with the fixed jaw, said head having a transverse worm opening therethrough and having a bore therein disposed transversely with respect to said elongated handle, said bore being disposed in registering relation with said opening, a shaft having a lever on the outer end rotatably mounted in said bore and extended through said transverse worm opening, a worm in said worm opening and mounted on said shaft, a clutch element on one end of the worm, a clutch element on the shaft and positioned to coact with the clutch element of the worm, said shaft being arranged to be actuated outwardly to bring the clutch elements of the worm and shaft into operative relation whereby the worm is actuated by the lever, said shaft having an annular recess therein, and a spring loaded detent in the head of the wrench and positioned to register with said annular recess of the shaft for preventing accidental separation of the shaft from the wrench head.

2. In a slidable side jaw wrench, the combination which comprises an elongated handle having a head on one end a fixed jaw integral with and extended from the head, a movable jaw slidably mounted in the head and positioned to coact with the fixed jaw, said head having a transverse worm opening extended therethrough and a bore therein disposed transversely with respect to said elongated handle, said bore being disposed in registering relation with said opening, a shaft having a lever on the outer end rotatably mounted in said bore and extended through the transverse worm opening, a worm in said worm opening and mounted on said shaft, a clutch element on one end of the worm, a clutch element on the shaft and positioned to coact with the clutch element of the worm, said shaft being arranged to be actuated to bring the clutch elements of the worm and shaft into operative relation whereby the worm is actuated by the lever, a spring on said shaft and positioned between the worm and surface of the head for urging the worm longitudinally of the shaft, whereby the clutch elements of the worm and shaft are in contacting relation, said shaft having an annular recess therein, and a spring loaded detent in the head of the wrench and positioned to engage the annular recess of the shaft for preventing accidental separation of the shaft from the wrench head.

3. A slidable side jaw wrench as described in claim 2, wherein the shaft is provided with flat sides and the fiat SldfiS of the shaft are positioned to mesh with corresponding fiat sides of the worm.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Ryland Oct. 2, 1951 McEnroe May 13, 1952 5 Finn Nov. 3, 1953 6 Pugh Aug. 31, 1954 Johnson Oct. 4, 1955 Barnes Jan. 10, 1956 Barnes et a1. June 19, 1956 Hatch Nov. 19, 1957 Barnes Nov. 11, 1958 

